this post was submitted on 07 Mar 2025
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Severance

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Season 2 Episode 8: Sweet Vitriol

Aired: March 7, 2025

Synopsis: Discoveries are made.

Directed by: Ben Stiller

Written by: Adam Countee & K. C. Perry

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[–] Ilandar@lemm.ee 3 points 5 days ago

This season feels like such conventional mystery box TV (in a bad way), as opposed to the first season which started off as this unique surrealist office comedy that gradually morphed into a thriller. I'm sorry to be so cynical, but this second season feels like a classic case of a show that blew up way more than expected and is now being deliberately stalled to milk its viewers and their attention. An expansion of cinematography and setting is nice, but not at the expense of a what was previously a cohesive narrative.

[–] thomask 15 points 1 week ago

I loved the slow pace, even by Severance standards, accentuating the vibe of an isolated and abandoned company town. Felt almost like Koyaanisqatsi with all the scenic shots.

[–] inb4_FoundTheVegan@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Ether is short for the chemical name diethyl ether.

Di-etheyl. Et-her.

Dieter.

Keir was tripping in the woods, started to jerk off and blaming it on his other self was the establishment of his religion.

[–] Ulvain@sh.itjust.works 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Wouldn't be surprised if he even fashioned a weird puppet of moss and roots while high, and started talking and joking with it

[–] inb4_FoundTheVegan@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I'll go with that, except for the joking with it. Kier has more of a smite my enemies voodoo doll sort of vibe? 🔥 🌩️

[–] Ulvain@sh.itjust.works 4 points 6 days ago

Later in life, yes, but that's young get-heigh-and-jerk-off Kier

[–] LambdaRX@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It was a nice change of scenery, from sterile, retro-futuristic Lumon to godforsaken Salt's Neck.

[–] DJDarren@sopuli.xyz 8 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I thought that episode was excellent.

I saw a review on IMDB saying it could have been ten minutes, and I can't help wondering whether that person has watched any of the rest of the show until this point. The whole thing has been glacially slow, even if it doesn't really feel that way.

And by reserving an entire episode just for Harmony's back story, they didn't have to interrupt the main timeline.

[–] danc4498@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

I have watched all severance episodes, and some many times. This was undeniably the worse episode. The events that took place could easily have been a 10 minute side story from a different episode, but instead they made it an entire episode.

Yes, other episodes have been glacially slow, but in those we gain lots of insight into the universe, or at least we spend time with the characters we care about.

[–] Aufgehtsabgehts@feddit.org 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

What made it excellent for you?

Overall, I am fascinated by how they manage to make the pace both slow and suspenseful at the same time. But in this episode, the suspense was completely missing for me, and the revelations felt very on the nose.

[–] DJDarren@sopuli.xyz -1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I don't really know, but something about it had me gripped.

I'm ADHD as fuck so very rarely watch something without having my phone in my hand. Didn't do that with this episode.

[–] blackn1ght@feddit.uk 1 points 3 days ago

Funnily enough it's the opposite for me, usually I'm gripped by every episode, but this one I ended up doing other things after 15 minutes, something I haven't done with any episode of Sererance yet.

[–] Bademantel@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

And by reserving an entire episode just for Harmony's back story, they didn't have to interrupt the main timeline.

I'm not sure what you mean by that. They interrupted the timeline by an entire episode, even more if we consider the last episode.

Like others here I still like the feel and aesthetics of the show but the pacing is odd to me.

[–] ericdavidmorris@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 week ago (2 children)

With everything revealed about Cobel this episode, is it possible that she has a dormant chip in herself? I wonder if the risk of it being flipped is why she fled from her last meeting with Helena.

[–] Ulvain@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 days ago

In season 1, on the security room wall, there is a Harmony S. (Selvig?)

[–] Skavau@lemm.ee 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Can they not remotely activate chips?

[–] HidingUnderHats@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

Maybe she has an early model without that feature

[–] jrgn@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

I really really loved this episode, and I think it is bonkers that so many found it boring/bad/unnecessary! I'd rather skip the "dead girlfriend montage" of the previous episode.

[–] RamenDame@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I have so many questions. If Cobel is that kind of a mastermind, why isn’t she higher up in the company? I feel like she must have done something to be degraded to manage MDR. But we get a little bit more insight into the child labour. Ms Huang must be in a similar fellowship. I don’t know if Cobel will be a reliable help to Mark. Was she in charge of having them meet?

[–] synapse1278@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago (2 children)

She was groomed from childhood, they stole her invention and she didn't even want to claim it because she feared retaliation.

[–] MimicJar@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I don't even think she feared retaliation, she was just fully bought into the cult that is Kier/Lumon.

[–] synapse1278@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

I mean, retaliation in cults have often to do with being isolated, cut out from the group. When all the people in your life are part of the cult, being cut out of the cult equals to be all by yourself with nothing to your name. I think Corbel mentioned it briefly, I have to rewatch to be sure.

[–] RamenDame@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago

That is what she says. But wouldn’t you keep such a “genius” closer? Maybe there is more to it. Different ideas what severance could be used for.

[–] MimicJar@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

why isn't she higher up

So if Cold Harbor really is the greatest project, then she's exactly where she wants to be.

I suspect Helena found a way to get Petey removed so she could sneak in. Then when Cold Harbor is complete she could say she was apart of the team (ignoring that she doesn't view her innie as a person, that's still true, Helly is just a tool used by her.)

So whatever Cold Harbor is, it's still part of Cobel's plan, using her technology. Her work on th project is viewed, by her, as a reward for developing the technology.

If course when they take that away from her...

[–] quichequeen@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

As picturesque as this turned out, it was tough to spend an entire episode with Harmony. I wish Mrs Selvig had made an appearance.

[–] danc4498@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That was a really bad episode.

[–] Ulvain@sh.itjust.works 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

To each their own, but I disagree profoundly!! I found it essential to understand Cobel's character, and the potential reversal of her loyalties

[–] danc4498@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I don’t like her character very much. And the idea that she will be redeemed does not seem appealing to me. She was awful all the way till the end of season 1, and mostly sidelined in season 2.

I’m sad we wasted an entire episode on her when we could have been spending that time with literally any other character. Even a Ricken specific episode would have been more appealing to me.

[–] Ulvain@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

A valid perspective, even though I don't share it :)

[–] danc4498@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Do you like her character, though? Or are you just hoping for a redemption? I definitely hated her.

I felt like at the end of the first season she should have been willing to help the innie, but she still notified Lumon the instant she found out. Maybe not irredeemable, but she definitely has a lot of work to do.

[–] Ulvain@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 days ago

I don't like her character as a person, but i love her character as a character! It's important and mysterious

[–] 9t9t@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 week ago

Strange, a bit filler-y but at least nothing/no one interrupted while Cobel searched and the backstory is now clearer.

[–] Microplasticbrain@lemm.ee 1 points 1 week ago

Honestly couldn't care less about kobel, boring episode, boring revelation, im glad it was only 30 minutes but even then i was skipping all the dead space.

[–] Aufgehtsabgehts@feddit.org 0 points 1 week ago (4 children)

That episode should have been reduced to 1-2 scenes.

[–] Kolrami@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

They made an interesting creative choice to avoid basically all of their main characters and film a slower paced episode. I don't think that was a good idea. The discovery about Harmony's past was interesting though.

[–] apprehensively_human@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago

We're getting an extra episode when compared to last season so I'm not complaining.

[–] simple@lemm.ee 0 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The last few episodes have all been a bit low on content. I really love the vibes so I'm still enjoying the series, but they've been teasing mark reintegrating since episode 3 and it's starting to drag. If season 2 ends without any answers I'll be pissed.

[–] duuuurtymike@lemm.ee 3 points 1 week ago

My wife is pissed that we haven’t gotten any further with Mark being reintegrated for awhile. I think the last episode about Gemma was definitely needed and provided amazing backstory. Same with this episode. I just get mad with how they tend to drag certain things out. It’s a beautiful show and I’m sure it will pay off in the end.

[–] slazer2au@lemmy.world -1 points 1 week ago

Yep, the episode was a whole lot of nothing apart from the last bit.